


Boo Flu

by soldiermom1973



Series: Virmire Survivor [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Denial, F/M, Fever, Flu, Fluff, Halloween, Josie Shepard, M/M, Medicine, Multi, Shenkrios, first holiday together, ruined plans, sick in bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:25:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: Josie is excited to share her favorite holiday with her boys.  Something else is brewing and it has other ideas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, [Nerdy Skirt](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdy_Skirt/works), for the title. God knows I can't come up with titles myself.

Kaidan was impassive about Halloween. He remembered being excited about it when he was a kid – and what human kid wasn't? - but at BAaT, they were seldom ever allowed to celebrate it. His enthusiasm for the holiday waned, but he never begrudged those who embraced it. After he enlisted, he participated in whatever unit functions were being held wherever he was stationed and if he happened to be where there were children, he loved handing candy out. He hadn't done anything Halloween-y since Virmire, though, not even to hand candy out. It bothered him a little that people mistook his actual injuries for part of a costume.

Thane was only vaguely aware of what Halloween was. He infiltrated some parties throughout the years to complete contracts and understood the concept of 'trick-or-treat', but other than that, the holiday held no significance for him. He found the concept of dressing in a costume rather amusing, though, and wondered if he should have incorporated it more often to get close to his targets.

Josie, unlike her boyfriends, LIVED for Halloween. She would get as excited about buying a new costume as she would about getting a new mod for her gun. No matter where she was stationed, she ALWAYS dressed up (and she had the reprimands in her file to prove it). If she couldn't throw a costume party, she found one to attend. It was the one time of the year that no one knew who she was and she embraced that anonymity. And, like Kaidan, she made sure when October 31 rolled around she was somewhere with a lot of kids so she could give out candy. Since she couldn't take the decorations she bought with her when she transferred, she'd wind up buying all new ones every couple of years. Someone told her once she could probably fund her own merc gang if she would have saved her money instead of buying all of that Halloween stuff. She just laughed and shrugged. Halloween was like Christmas to her. And this year would be the best Halloween ever because she'd get to share it with the two people she loved most.

Kaidan hadn't given much thought to Halloween this year, other than casually wondering what Josie would have planned. He regaled Thane with tales of Josie's Halloween parties on the SR-1 while the two of them helped her decorate the apartment. Thane would describe the sparkle in her eyes when she was picking out candy to buy and the smile that lit up her face when she told them about the costumes she found for them to wear to the myriad parties they'd be attending.

The night before the big day, the three of them cuddled together on the couch, watching old human horror movies (“A tradition!” Josie insisted when Thane quirked an eyebrow). Halfway through Friday the 13th Part CMXVII, Josie cleared her throat and shifted uneasily.

“Is it warm in here?” she asked, rolling her neck and wincing when some of the bones cracked. “I just got really warm.”

“I'm ok. Thane, you good or are you warm, too?” Kaidan asked.

“Perhaps it is because she is sandwiched between the two of us. We do have that effect on her,” Thane winked.

Kaidan chuckled and Josie playfully smacked Thane's arm. “Oh, stop. I'm serious. It's really warm. And... oh. Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no. No. Not now. Not today.”

Kaidan and Thane each gave her a worried look. “Josie, what is it?”

“I think I'm getting sick,” she whimpered. “I can feel it in my throat. Damn it! Why now?”

“Perhaps it is just, what is the word humans use? A bug?” Thane offered.

Kaidan leaned over and gently kissed Josie's forehead. “You do seem a bit warm,” he frowned. “Let me get you some orange juice. Maybe we can nip it in the bud.”

Josie nodded sadly and leaned back against Thane, who gently ran his nails along her shoulders. “I don't want to get sick,” she moaned. “Not now. There's too much for us to do tomorrow!”

“If you're sick, you're sick, Siha,” Thane kissed her cheek and frowned. “Kaidan is right. Your skin feels warmer than usual.” To Kaidan he said, “Is there medicine she can take?”

“I can run out and pick something up,” Kaidan replied, handing Josie a tall glass of juice. “I don't have anything here. I couldn't tell you the last time I was sick.”

“No, no meds,” Josie stated firmly. “The OJ and a good night's sleep will help. I'm sure of it. Mind over matter and all that. Besides, I don't remember the last time I was sick, either.”

She gulped down the orange juice and patted the couch next to her for Kaidan to sit back down. The movie resumed and Josie snuggled against Kaidan, draping her legs across Thane's lap. The longer she laid there, though, the worse she felt. Whatever was tickling the back of her throat had moved up to her sinuses, pressing against the back of her eyes.

When the movie ended, Josie cleared her throat and stood, wobbling a bit at the sudden aches in all of her joints. “I think I should get to bed,” she declared, hoping she didn't sound as bad as she was feeling.

“You ok, Josie?” Kaidan asked, standing.

“I will be,” she assured him, kissing his cheek. His skin was deliciously cool against her lips, making her wonder how bad this was going to get. “You guys stay here and watch movies or whatever.”

Josie took a quick, cool shower, donned one of Kaidan's shirts, and climbed into bed. _I will not get sick. I will NOT get sick. I will not get sick,_ she repeated over and over in her head as she scooted under the blankets. The sheets were comfortably chilly against her skin and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She didn't even stir when the boys joined her under the covers.

The next day, Josie woke before Thane and Kaidan did. Oddly, neither of them were cuddled tight against her. They each just had a leg or an arm draped casually around her. She wondered why until she rubbed her eyes – her skin was on fire. _Well, at least I don't feel too bad,_ she thought to herself, sitting up. Her movements woke Thane first.

“Siha, are you ok?” he whispered groggily. “You were running a rather high fever and were restless most of the night.”

“I think so,” she said, moving around Thane to stand. Once she was upright, it hit her like a ton of bricks – every joint in her body ached like it was pinched in a heavy-duty vise, her head swam and her nose became completely congested. Her throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper and it even hurt to blink.

“Oh, no,” she whispered, gripping the night stand. “No, this won't happen. Not today.”

Josie stumbled to the bathroom door and Thane was by her side in an instant. From the bed, Kaidan called, “Is she ok?”

“She is sick, Kaidan,” Thane answered, staring into Josie's eyes. “Very sick.”

“No,” Josie said, pushing Thane away. “I am not sick. Not today. I can be sick tomorrow.”

Kaidan joined Thane at the bathroom door. “Josie, I can hear it in your voice. You sound like death warmed over.”

“But it's Halloween,” she croaked. “We have too much to do. There's the thing at that café we go to, then a party at 3, then another thing on the Presidium, then that party at Flux...”

Her voice trailed off when she glanced in the mirror. She looked terrible – her skin was pale, her eyes glazed and red-rimmed - but she'd been through worse, right? There was no reason she couldn't power through everything today. She reached for her toothbrush and Thane wrapped his hand around her.

“Siha, please,” Thane said. “You truly are not well. Lay back down for a bit, let us take care of you.”

“But the parties... it's Halloween... it's our first one...” Her eyes welled with tears at the thought of ruining their first holiday together, especially since it was her favorite one. “I wanted it to be special.”

“Josie,” Kaidan sighed, kissing the back of her neck, frowning at the heat on his lips, “you getting some rest and getting better is more important.”

“But...”

“No buts,” Kaidan said. “You need to be in bed.”

Josie hung her head as a tear dripped into the sink. “I don't want to ruin today,” she said hoarsely. “We have the costumes and I just wanted this to be a really good day.”

Kaidan felt Thane's hand on his shoulder and nodded when he squeezed. “I'll tell you what. You go ahead and brush your teeth, but then you get back into bed. Thane and I will make sure today is still special, ok?”

“But...”

“No buts, Siha,” Thane stated firmly. “You cannot deny you are sick.”

She glanced in the mirror at her loves and saw each wearing a determined look on their faces. “Ok,” came the soft reply. “Brush teeth and back to bed.”

“And one more thing,” Kaidan said as she put the toothpaste on her toothbrush, “you can't leave the bedroom until one of us comes for you, ok?”

Josie nodded numbly. The boys left the bedroom, shutting the door behind them, and Josie started to cry. This was her favorite holiday and she'd spent weeks planning everything out. She was so excited to share everything with Kaidan and Thane, especially since Thane had never celebrated Halloween before. Dinner conversation over the past couple of nights revolved around the holiday's history and with her and Kaidan sharing tales of Halloweens past.

She rinsed and spit and trudged back to the bed. Every step ached in a way that made her almost wish she was suffering a battlefield injury instead. Josie curled up under the covers, wincing as her head started to throb. The last thing she thought as her eyes fluttered closed was that she hated when they were right. She'd never hear the end of this one.

Josie had no idea how much time passed when Thane gently woke her. Kaidan bought some medicine and a thermometer; Thane gave her a couple of pills, helped her sip more juice, and took her temperature. He sighed when it beeped and kissed her forehead. “102, Siha. You are most definitely sick.”

“I'm not sick. Just hot,” she mumbled. “Are you guys soon done?”

“Almost. Close your eyes and rest.” She nodded and felt soothing lips on her forehead. The bed shifted when Thane stood and shortly after, the door clicked shut again.

The next thing Josie knew, there was a gentle nudge to her shoulder. “Josie,” she heard Kaidan whisper. “Babe, I would rather let you sleep, but we're done.”

Josie took a deep breath and stretched. Her eyes were gritty and the lids felt like they each weighed a ton. She still ached all over, too, but she wanted to see what Kaidan and Thane had done.

Kaidan helped her to her feet and held her hand while she shuffled to the living room. A weak smile spread across her face when she saw the apartment.

The boys added to the decorations – there were now fake cobwebs in every corner and plastic bats hung from the ceiling. Victor darkened the windows and dimmed most of the lights to give the apartment a more spooky feel. Dozens of lit candles were scattered around the apartment, the flickering shadows on the walls added to the atmosphere. A new, life-sized Frankenstein's monster adorned a corner of the living room and the faint sounds of rattling chains and creaking doors filled the apartment. They moved all the furniture away from the middle of the living room and spread out blankets and pillows. There were bowls of candy, mugs of hot apple cider, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup just for Josie. A glance at the TV showed they had a movie queued up.

“We can spend the whole day here, taking care of you and watching scary movies. I instructed Victor to leave the outside light on so we can still have trick-or-treaters,” Kaidan explained. “When the doorbell rings, the movie will pause and the TV will switch to the security camera so you can see the kids, ok?”

“What about your costumes?” Josie asked. “You can't answer the door without your costumes.”

“Kaidan found a party tomorrow at a new club in Zakera Ward,” Thane offered. “We can wear them then. He has a plan for the door, though.”

Thane nodded toward the hall and Josie laughed when she saw Kaidan standing there with one of his prosthetic legs painted on one end to give it a bloody look. “I'm going to take the metal leg off and make my stump look like a ragged, bloody mess,” he grinned. “And my eyes are already pretty freaky, so I figure if I answer the door, waving the leg, we'll scare a few kids.”

“I thought having the kids stare at you bothered you,” Josie frowned.

Kaidan shrugged. “I think I can deal with it for one night, especially since it's so important to you.”

Josie threw her arms around Kaidan and kissed his cheek. “You're both so wonderful,” she gushed, feeling a little better already.

The three settled in on the floor, watching movie after movie. Kaidan and Thane took turns getting her tea and cider and making sure she took her medicine. When kids knocked on the door, Josie and Thane laughed as the kids screeched and screamed when Kaidan growled and waved his leg around.

Josie's fever gradually came down and by nightfall, she was feeling much, much better. Part of her wanted to get up and get around to still get to a party or two, but she nestled in closer to her men, realizing that even though it wasn't the Halloween she wanted as their first, it was still the best one she'd ever had.


End file.
